Multi-Million Dollar Bet Placed on Eagles to Win Super Bowl 52

by Taylor Smith
on January 26, 2018

The gambling world was rocked earlier this week when an on the Philadelphia Eagles to cover the spread or win outright against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52. In anticipation of even more money coming in on the Eagles in the days leading up to the game, Boyd Gaming and the Westgate SuperBook each altered their respective lines from Patriots -5 to Patriots -4.5.

Per Westgate vice president Jay Kornegay, about 52 percent of the public money had come in on Philadelphia as of Thursday afternoon. MGM’s 10 Nevada sportsbooks also offer the Patriots at -185 on the moneyline, which is the cheapest of any book in the state. Conversely, Caesars Palace has the most favorable price on the Eagles at +180.

We do not have a confirmed figure on the amount the lone multi-million dollar bettor placed on Philly, but Jay Rood, the VP of race and sports for MGM Resorts, told SportsLine that the bet is

“One of the largest reported bets in recent years in Nevada.”

RJ Bell, a noted Vegas odds provider, reported that the bettor not only placed the bet on the Eagles to cover, but to win the game outright. Bell additionally reported that the bettor is the same infamous bettor that placed 6 consecutive correct bets in the 2017 World Series before cashing out with a profit of $14 million prior to Game 7. Bell believes the Super Bowl bet is risking $3 million.

William Hill has over 100 sportsbooks across the state of Nevada, though it’s looking unlikely that the spread will dip below 4.5. After 3 days of wagering, the William Hill books reported that 69 percent of the money against the spread was favoring New England, who they still have listed as 5-point favorites. About 51 percent of all bets at William Hill have come in on Philadelphia.

Rood told ESPN that there have been several other big-money bets coming in on the game, though no other bets have reached the million-dollar mark. There have been several reported 5- and 6-figure wagers, most of which have come in favoring the Patriots. Some bets have even totaled as much as $80,000.

Rood also said that there has been a flood of bets on the Patriots since the line was lowered to -4.5 at MGM books. About 80 percent of the action since the line moved has come in on the New England side.

The Patriots will seek their 6th Super Bowl title, while Philadelphia is in search of its first. The top seeds in each conference will do battle in Minneapolis on February 4.